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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. rash — a series
  3. track — a song
  4. pass — a permit
  5. tube — the underground
  6. kid — to tease
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. cell — in biology
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. tube — a container
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rock — music
  14. cell — a phone
  15. kid — child
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. perch — the fish
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. rock — a stone
  20. track — a path
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. track — to keep track
  23. rash — hasty
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com